Microsoft Paint’s New Features Are Making It More Like Photoshop

Microsoft Paint is being updated in a test release to resemble Photoshop more closely, with a new project feature that saves work as .paint files. The .paint format preserves the editing state rather than compressing it into a non-editable image, allowing users to reopen files to continue editing or share them for collaborative tweaks, similar in spirit to Photoshop’s PSD approach.

While the tool remains light on advanced features, the project files store layers, canvas size, transparency, and basic tool usage, covering the needs of many users, and can be opened directly from the menu or exported to PNG, JPEG, AVIF or HEIC. An additional feature is an opacity slider for precise control over brush or pencil transparency, useful for soft shadows or highlights.

These features are included in version v11.2508.361.0, currently being tested under the Windows Insider programme, with updates available through the Microsoft Store, according to Windows Latest.